Baseball Union Chief Warns on Rush to Judgment on Braun
On Tuesday, Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Michael Weiner urged a restraint on rushing to judge Milwaukee Brewers star and NL MVP Ryan Braun, who tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug and faces a 50-game suspension if the initial finding is upheld.
"Our Joint Drug Agreement is designed to protect a player from a rush to judgment before he can challenge a reported positive test result,” said Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Michael Weiner. “Fairness dictates that Ryan Braun be treated no differently. I urge all to reserve judgment on this matter until the JDA's process has played itself out."
This past weekend a spokesman for Braun issued a statement, noting, "There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan's complete innocence and demonstrate there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program.”
The MLB has not officially announced the positive test because Braun is disputing the result through arbitration.